How To Become A Payroll Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a payroll assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A payroll assistant works with the payroll manager to ensure that all payroll activities run smoothly. Your job description includes tracking all hours worked by employees and dispensing payroll to staff. Other duties expected of you are managing schedules, maintaining accurate and up-to-date staffing sheets, processing tax forms, and handling all payroll discrepancies and inquiries. Keep in mind that you are expected to protect employee's confidential information. A lot of your job activities will revolve around data entry, maintaining databases, managing calls and other correspondence, preparing reports, and processing all requests.

Basic skills expected of any payroll assistant are data entry skills, elementary computer skills such as the use of Microsoft excel, mathematics, and communication skills. Other relevant skills are payroll, data entry, and human resources. Most payroll assistants have a bachelor's degree in business or accounting. You are expected to earn about $17 per hour and $36,000 yearly.

ScorePayroll AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $45,023

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.6

Growth Rate -3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.53%

Asian 6.14%

Black or African American 9.25%

Hispanic or Latino 19.03%

Unknown 6.08%

White 57.97%

Gender

female 84.00%

male 16.00%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress Level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a payroll assistant

Explore payroll assistant education requirements

Most common payroll assistant degrees

Bachelor's

47.6 %

Associate

27.1 %

High School Diploma

13.8 %

Start to develop specific payroll assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	15.72%
Payroll System	6.88%
Payroll Data	5.82%
Human Resources	5.28%
ADP	5.00%

Complete relevant payroll assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New payroll assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a payroll assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real payroll assistant resumes.

Research payroll assistant duties and responsibilities

Enter and update new employees into the timekeeping system KRONOS.
Perform payroll functions such as timekeeping and vacation days and submit to payroll.
Assist with the payroll process, time cards input and personal time off (PTO).
Prepare and input both weekly and biweekly payroll information using ADP software, ensuring information receive and transmit is accurate.

Prepare your payroll assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your payroll assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a payroll assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Payroll Assistant Resume templates

Build a professional Payroll Assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Payroll Assistant resume.

Apply for payroll assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a payroll assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do payroll assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Payroll Assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022

Pros

Fixing the time sheet. And entering retro active.

Cons

Wade the time while I am working.